Saturday, May 1, 2010

This past week, Jon and I finally got to try Osaka . For the past few months, we've been hearing numerous friends rave about this place. Before I begin the review, I will say I enjoyed my meal, but it's definitely not the best meal I've ever had. Osaka is a Japanese hibachi and sushi restaurant. It's laid out with numerous hibachi grills, but you will also find a sushi bar with a never ending sushi conveyor belt in its center. Jon and I went with our community group from church. The majority of the crowd wanted food from the hibachi so, naturally, we sat at one of the hibachi grill tables.

Who wants a little history on the Hibachi? Apart from popular belief, the hibachi actually originated in China (not Japan) as a type of portable charcoal brazier used to heat the homes of the nobility. The traditional Japanese hibachi is a heating device and not usually used for cooking. However, in English, "hibachi" often refers to small cooking grills typically made of aluminum or cast iron. Leave it to the Americans to turn a home heating device into a cooking tool. So, there's a little history for you trivia folks. To learn more, simply click here. For some reason, when I think of hibachi, I picture it being surrounded by birthday parties or a group of high school prom dates. Does anyone else get that?

Now back to the review. Honestly, I've never been a huge fan of hibachi or Japanese steakhouses. The few times I've gone to one, it always seems like the food they're cooking in front of you smells and looks a lot better than it really tastes. All that butter, garlic, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce....it's bound to be tasty, right? Sadly, it usually tastes pretty bland to me. That's just my opinion. Though, I know Jon agrees with me :) The great thing about Osaka is that we were allowed to order sushi while sitting at the hibachi grill. So, you guessed it. Jon and I were the odd ones out and ordered sushi instead of hibachi food. It really worked out great - I got to enjoy the taste of my sushi and the smells of the hibachi. The sushi was very tasty. There were lots of options and funky ones at that, which I like. Our favorite was definitely the "Dyno-Dynamite Roll." On Osaka's website, they claim to be "the only authentic Japanese restaurant in Tennessee." Now, read the description of the "Dyno-Dynamite Roll".....deep fried crab, eel, and cream cheese. For some reason, the "deep fried" part doesn't sound very authentic to me. It's hard for me to imagine them cooking this roll in Japan....hmmm. Anyways, regardless of its authenticity, I must admit, that roll was quite delightful to say the least. A must get if you ever go. The atmosphere was your typical chain restaurant atmosphere in Collierville.....big and shiny....nothing too impressive. So, the sushi was good if you're wanting the heavy stuff and the atmosphere was comfortable, but not original. We would go again to try some more of the funky sushi selections or maybe a fun time with some more friends. If you're a big fan of hibachi, then this place is for you! It's probably the best hibachi restaurant I've been to. We give Osaka 3 stars.